Southwest Valley's high points of 2010

The Southwest Valley had plenty to be proud of in 2010 from the Avondale's new sports center and Goodyear's recently opened park and ride to mayors taking regional and national leadership roles.

Take a closer look at the wins.

WINS

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Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium

The Litchfield Park zoo is building its fourth aquarium exhibit building in Litchfield Park. The addition, which is expected to be finished in late spring and open to the public by next fall, will have about 7,000 square feet of display area, including a 40,000-gallon Amazon River Monsters display. The addition is being built less than 18 months after the aquarium opened to the public.

Wigwam renovation

The historic Wigwam Resort and Spa in Litchfield Park underwent a $7million renovation slated scheduled to be finished in early January. It will transform the 80-year-old resort back to its roots while modernizing those things essential to having an up-to-date facility.

The resort also started offering Sunday farmers markets. Valley sports icon figure Jerry Colangelo's investment group purchased the resort in a bankruptcy auction in December 2009.

Sports complex opens

Avondale invested $7.8 million in building a sports center that now anchors its budding City Center, and it hopes the anchor will be a catalyst for development.

In November, the city celebrated the opening of the American Sports Centers Avondale at the Randall McDaniel Sports Complex, 755 N.114th Ave., on the eastern side of Avondale Boulevard, south of Interstate 10.

Parkway compromise

Buckeye Residents and Pulte Homes, who had been fighting for more than six months for a route to a proposed parkway in north Buckeye, got their wish in January when the Town Council unanimously approved an alternate alignment.

The adult community Sun City Festival would have been bisected by the proposed Turner Parkway alignment. The new alignment is 1 mile west on 287th Avenue and borders Pulte's property line.

Park and ride opens

Goodyear Park and Ride opened in December at the northwestern corner of Interstate 10 and Dysart Road. It has 400 covered parking spaces, restrooms, security and maintenance buildings, bike racks and "Egyptian" columns.